The Bilerico Projecthttp://www.bilerico.com/
Daily experiments in LGBTQeneditor@bilerico.com (Bil Browning)Copyright 2004-2016http://www.bilerico.com/img/BLogo500.pngThe Bilerico Projecthttp://www.bilerico.com/
Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:00:00 -0500http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=5.2.6http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss'Two Spirits' Wins PBS Audience Award
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]]>PBS-Independent Lens announced yesterday that Two Sprits has received the Audience Award as the highest-rated film of the 2010-11 season by online voting and other measures of audience support. As a member of the advisory board that help the film become a reality, I could not be more proud of the support and positive feedback we have gotten and how the story of Fred Martinez and the Native American tradition of celebrating gender diversity was accessible to millions.

We could not have done it without the support of the many diverse communities touched by this film and an amazing social media presence.

After the break: statement from the director and some interesting next steps for the film.

It was only by coincidence that I was in Manhattan overnight, working on a press conference announcing a new coalition and campaign for homeless LGBT youth, ironically at the Stonewall Inn with Stonewall veterans who were homeless youth in 1969. It also became clear this afternoon that the vote would be happening on marriage equality in New York. So I found myself back at the Stonewall Inn just a few hours later to witness history.

As a life-long New Yorker, I am so proud that my home state has joined the other states and D.C. that give same-sex couples the right to marry. It was a huge celebration in front of the Stonewall Inn on Friday night - the annual drag march was ending in front of the bar as it always does and everyone stayed as we heard the vote was happening. The crowd grew. And grew. And grew. I knew I was standing in the right place at a moment when history was about to be made.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/history_at_the_stonewall_inn.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/history_at_the_stonewall_inn.phpThe MovementSat, 25 Jun 2011 08:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/history_at_the_stonewall_inn.php#commentsTwo Spirits: The Last Thing Fred Saw
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]]>It is hard to believe that a decade has passed since the brutal murder of Fred Martinez. It sounds cliché but it still feels like yesterday that I got off the plane to Cortez after being invited by local activists to help deal with the aftermath of his death on this small town in the Four Corners region of Colorado. A new film could not be airing at a better time.

As I say in Two Spirits, airing on PBS's Independent Lens next week, all I could think to myself as the plane landed was "why do I keep going to such beautiful places for such awful reasons?" What I inevitably think is also "Why do such terrible things happen to good and beautiful people?"

This June 16th, 2011 will mark 10 years since his brutal murder at the hands of someone who targeted him simply for being different. For being himself. For being honest and true to his spirit. Attacked seems like an inadequate word. He was bludgeoned to death with a rock, fighting for his life, trying to climb a rock wall over which he could see the trailer park he called home.

One of the first things I did in Cortez was view the murder site. There was the outline in the shape of a body, made by the blood that had pooled as Fred lay there dying for who knows how long. I climbed the rock wall myself and saw what Fred saw just before he was pulled down and beaten to death. Unimaginable to think the last thing he saw was his home. With local activists and others who had come from around the country to help, seeing the spot where he was killed was a gut-wrenching sight, even for those of us with experience dealing with the horror of a hallmark of hate crimes called "overkill."]]>

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/two_spirits_the_last_thing_fred_saw.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/two_spirits_the_last_thing_fred_saw.phpLivingSun, 12 Jun 2011 15:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/two_spirits_the_last_thing_fred_saw.php#commentsNYC Subway: Family Guy Does It Again
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]]>I am not sure if this is also in other cities - I am guessing so. After all the controversy around their transgender story lines this seems especially insensitive (to say the least).

When I posted this on my Facebook page I got a few "This is funny" responses and continue to be perplexed. To me, this kind of image and the "humor" on this show around transgender people is pretty offensive. I know humor is a subjective thing but like a lot of this kind of extreme humor there is the "We make fun of everyone" excuse. But the intent and context seem anti-trans and sexist and those are the deciding factors when I make a decision about any LGBT representation.

What do you think? Check out this ad from the New York subway after the jump.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2011/04/nyc_subway_family_guy_does_it_again.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/04/nyc_subway_family_guy_does_it_again.phpEntertainmentMon, 25 Apr 2011 17:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2011/04/nyc_subway_family_guy_does_it_again.php#commentsHow Many LGBT Angels Can Dance on the Head of a Pin?
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]]>Full disclosure: The Williams Institute is a client of Renna Communications but the opinions expressed by me are mine and mine alone. Any agreement on the part of anyone is purely coincidental. Even my wife's. Trust me.

New analysis coming out of the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School today about the LGBT population, based on the data we actually have, is that there are about nine million of us - roughly the population of the state of New Jersey (let the jokes begin). Nowhere near 10% - a number taken from a passage in a 1948 Kinsey book that reads, "Ten percent of males are more or less exclusively homosexual for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55." This information was not based on population-based data, so it doesn't really address the issue of how many people identify as gay (never mind the B and T).

The headline in the Washington Post piece about the new report this morning is "9 million Americans estimated to be gay or bisexual, but solid figures elusive." Elusive. That's a mouthful, but an accurate one. For so many reasons.

As I write "Happy First Anniversary" emails to the three couples I had the honor and pleasure of working with and seeing marry that day, it strikes me how far we have managed to come and of course how much further we need to go as a community on this issue and many others. And of course, for them is it only the first anniversary of being legally married, as they were couples long before standing in front of over a hundred people (and dozens of cameras) a year ago today.

Let's take a moment to celebrate these three couples and all the other who came after them. I know there are several images burned into my memory that will always warm my heart and give me hope and energy to do all of the work we need to do until the LGBTQ community has full equality.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2011/03/happy_first_anniversary_washington_dc.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/03/happy_first_anniversary_washington_dc.phpLivingThu, 03 Mar 2011 16:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2011/03/happy_first_anniversary_washington_dc.php#commentsJane's Story: One of Challenge and Resilience
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]]>As I hit the road for this year's annual Creating Change conference, I go with no plans for moderating a panel or doing a training. Instead, Renna Communications has an even greater responsibility and challenge. We will be helping with the release of a groundbreaking survey, the first of its size and scope about the real lives of transgender people: "Injustice at Every Turn." Like a lot of research we see about LGBT people, the results are not surprising, but they are shocking and vital to advocates. Look for it tomorrow on TheTaskForce.org.

One of the most important and moving parts of my work is to help get the real stories of transgender people out there - stories of struggle and resilience, of hate and hope - and I consider it a great privilege and responsibility. What follows is one of them - but you will be seeing many more as this survey begins to hit the internet, media and community.

Meet Jane Ireland, a new friend, a new hero and a transgender woman with a story to tell.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2011/02/janes_story_one_of_thousands_in_new_groundbreaking.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/02/janes_story_one_of_thousands_in_new_groundbreaking.phpLivingThu, 03 Feb 2011 15:30:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2011/02/janes_story_one_of_thousands_in_new_groundbreaking.php#commentsA Day with HIV in America
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]]>Much of the media coverage and focus of World AIDS Day seems to be on the global pandemic. While of course absolutely justified, it seems that the epidemic here in the US gets short shrift. I know I am not alone in thinking the primary reason remains who is affected by this disease - MSM, men who identify as gay or bisexual, women of color and others.

A pictorial in the HIV focused magazine Positively Aware take the issue head-on in their most recent issue in a moving, beautiful and inspiring pictorial called "A Day with HIV in America.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2010/12/a_day_with_hiv_in_america_1.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/12/a_day_with_hiv_in_america_1.phpLivingWed, 01 Dec 2010 15:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2010/12/a_day_with_hiv_in_america_1.php#commentsFamily Acceptance in China: Finding the Rainbow
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]]>Editors' note:Dr. Caitlin Ryan is the Director of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, a community research, intervention, education and policy initiative that studies the impact of family acceptance and rejection on the health and mental health of LGBT youth. She has been working with providers, families and community groups to develop an international movement of family acceptance to promote wellness and healthy futures for LGBT children, youth and young adults.

The students penciled these words in careful calligraphy in English on the wall of their tiny LGBT center in the mega university complex so the landlord wouldn't understand that this is a center for LGBT students:

"We are gay and lesbian youth in our 20s studying in Guangzhou colleges and universities. We came together and became friends with a common goal to make a better environment for ourselves. We hope to make a better future.

All human being are born free and equal for dignity and rights. We have courage and we are proud to embrace diversity. We will continue to fight against injustice against people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity."

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/family_acceptance_in_china_finding_the_rainbow.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/family_acceptance_in_china_finding_the_rainbow.phpPoliticsSun, 07 Nov 2010 13:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/family_acceptance_in_china_finding_the_rainbow.php#commentsFamilies of LGBT Children gather in China
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]]>Renna Communications has the pleasure and honor of working with the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, a community research, intervention, education and policy initiative that studies the impact of family acceptance and rejection on the health and mental health of LGBT youth. Given the national conversation we are having about LGBT youth suicide and bullying, this research is a vital part of how we could all be better informed and armed to help youth and families

In addition to recent trips to Mexico and Spain, Dr. Caitlin Ryan, the Director of FAP, was invited to China to speak at various conferences, universities and community agencies on the importance of family acceptance for the well-being and health of LGBT youth and their families.

You read that correctly. China.

Read on for her take on the beginning of the trip and look for more postings as she continues her amazing journey to an unlikely and sometimes dangerous place to be LGBT or even an LGBT ally.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/families_of_lgbt_children_gather_in_china.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/families_of_lgbt_children_gather_in_china.phpLivingMon, 01 Nov 2010 15:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2010/11/families_of_lgbt_children_gather_in_china.php#commentsWhat Dr. Laura Taught Me
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]]>This week, the notorious "Dr." Laura said she is leaving her radio show after once again shooting her mouth off. But this time it was by using the "n" word and prompting a coalition of groups including Unity: Journalists of Color, the Women's Media Center, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to get her to apologize and retire from radio. For me, it was déjà vu all over again.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/pride_through_a_lens_darkly_or_lightly_or_rose-col.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/pride_through_a_lens_darkly_or_lightly_or_rose-col.phpThe MovementMon, 28 Jun 2010 20:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/pride_through_a_lens_darkly_or_lightly_or_rose-col.php#commentsGary and Tony have a baby, Bil Browning has a cow and I have some things to say
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]]>A lot is being written about the CNN documentary airing tonight, kicking off their "Gay in America" series, called Gary and Tony Have a Baby. It premieres on CNN tonight, June 24 at 8pm ET & PT and on CNN International on Saturday, June 26 at 8am ET. As they say, check your local listings.

First of all, some disclosure on my part. I know Gary and Tony. I also know and work with many of the people involved in the production, some of whom are friends as well as producers I work with professionally. This makes for challenges when pitching - and reacting - to stories, but is a by-product of the kind of work I do. And it never stops me from being honest and forthright about all sides of this kind of coverage.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/gary_and_tony_have_a_baby_bil_browning_has_a_cow_a.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/gary_and_tony_have_a_baby_bil_browning_has_a_cow_a.phpEntertainmentThu, 24 Jun 2010 13:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2010/06/gary_and_tony_have_a_baby_bil_browning_has_a_cow_a.php#commentsStanding on the Side of Love in Uganda
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]]>We have been working with some of the bravest souls I have encountered this past week, as over 200 LGBT and allied people (primarily youth) gathered in Kampala, Uganda, to stand in solidarity and express their faith and love in the face of government oppression.

Rev. Mark Kiyimba, the minister serving the two Ugandan UU congregations, was the key organizer of the gathering. The reverend was well aware of the personal risks facing members of his community for speaking out, but he believes that if the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 passes the consequences would be devastating, both for his church and his country. He accepts the risks; "Breaking the barriers of inequality has never been the safe or easy thing."

The only media present at the conference was a CNN International reporter we worked with closely and who provided live coverage and also had Rev. Kiyimba on air briefly.

For anyone who works in the LGBT/progressive movements, there is one place we know we can go every year to get our batteries recharged, have our assumptions and idea challenged, see longtime friends and fellow activists and even better, make new ones.

It's a "who's who" without pretense, something lesbian comic Marga Gomez once called a "queer MENSA circuit party." She was not far off (although the last part has escaped me). I am talking about Creating Change aka The National Conference on LGBT Equality. Given the "movement moment" we are in it seems like the 2010 conference in Dallas will be interesting, challenging, maddening and fun. The Bilerico Project will have a huge presence there and I am hoping to create some change myself, with a little help from some friends....

Since many of you know me I will not offer up the wisdom, stories and joy my wife and daughter bring me. Friend me on Facebook, you'll see. Oops, gave away a big 2009 highlight - Cathy finally joins Facebook.

But it is this quiet time of year (translation: holiday week, after the dogs get me up at 5:30 and before the girls get up) that I have been thinking about the high points of this year and taking the leap to make some predictions about 2010. I hope you will read this and add predictions and contributions of your own about what 2010 would hold for the LGBTQA community.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2009/12/goodbye_2009_bring_on_2010.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/12/goodbye_2009_bring_on_2010.phpThe MovementSun, 27 Dec 2009 10:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2009/12/goodbye_2009_bring_on_2010.php#commentsThe beginning of the end
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]]>As I stood watching President Obama make his remarks about the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Act at the White House yesterday, I was struck by the history of the moment and also caught up in the emotion of the moment, both personally and for our community. After working on so many horrific hate crimes and knowing colleagues who continue to deal with the epidemic of violence against our community, I would have never imagined it would take over a decade for this legislation to finally be signed. But here we were, finally.

We had a spot behind the speakers, in the back corner of the stage. Myself, my wife, Moises Kaufman and Jeffrey LaHoste (founders of the Tectonic Theater Project, which created the Laramie Project), huddled teary-eyed. I had a wave of memories wash over me, people who we have lost to hate violence like Matt, Sakia Gunn, Fred Martinez and so many others. But it was my conversation with the two women behind us that really hit home.

It's easy for us to say it, but, as two women, straight allies who work at the Department of Justice put it: "This is long overdue." And I said right back to them "And this is only the beginning."

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2009/10/the_beginning_of_the_end.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/10/the_beginning_of_the_end.phpPoliticsThu, 29 Oct 2009 19:30:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2009/10/the_beginning_of_the_end.php#commentsMarch for the Cure
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]]>As we all wait for this weekend's events to unfold in Washington, from the National Equality March to the President speaking at the HRC dinner, there are many mixed feelings. Will people show up? What will the President say? How will the media make sense of all the different and often conflicting voices in our community?

As I get ready for the weekend - and as someone who will be at the dinner and the march - I hope that all of us can keep one thing in mind: what we really are up against as we fight for full and equal treatment under the law.

You see, the goals are pretty much the same, it's the way to get there that the we don't agree on. That said, we still need to address what Mitchell Gold calls the "pink elephant in the room." Religon based bigotry. I am proud to be working with his group, Faith in America, and carrying this sign as we approach the capitol building on Sunday.

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2009/10/march_for_the_cure.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/10/march_for_the_cure.phpThe MovementTue, 06 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2009/10/march_for_the_cure.php#commentsRemorse, love, and how we tell our stories
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]]>The is a article on the AP wire this morning about Aaron McKInney, one of the young men convicted of killing Matthew Shepard. It focuses on interviews with him that are part of the new Laramie Project 10 years later: An Epilogue, that will be performed in over 150 theaters on October 12, 2009.

(Full disclosure: I am on the board of Tectonic Theater and worked on this piece with a journalist I respect a great deal, David Crary. The headline is that Aaron has no remorse for killing Matt and also some disparaging things to say about Judy Shepard, both of which anger and sadden me. How do we create Aaron McKinneys in our society? Here's the piece, you be the judge.)

Cathy Rennahttp://www.bilerico.com/2009/09/remorse_love_and_how_we_tell_our_stories.php
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/09/remorse_love_and_how_we_tell_our_stories.phpGay Icons and HistoryTue, 29 Sep 2009 10:30:00 -0500http://www.bilerico.com/2009/09/remorse_love_and_how_we_tell_our_stories.php#commentsMarriage changes us more than we change marriage
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]]>A new book by M.V. Lee Badgett, Professor of Economics, director of the Center of Public Policy And Administration at Amherst and research director of the Williams Institute on Public Policy at UCLA School of Law (phew, her business card must be huge!) has written a compelling and very useful addition to the debate about marriage equality.

When Gay People Get Married: what happens when societies legalize same-sex marriage is, given the tremendous amount of research and data-driven content (aka graphs and charts), a great summer read. Badgett takes a much needed look at how marriage equality is actually working in the place where same-sex couples have been marrying since 2001: the Netherlands.

Her verdict: marriage changes gay people more than gay people change marriage. Take that, Family Research Council!